"26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:26-28)

Monday, May 28, 2012

Faith in the Superior New Covenant

Dear Father,

We praise You for what You have taught us through the old covenant by Your Holy Spirit regarding Your purpose for all eternity. Thank You for sending Jesus to do Your will so that we may be made holy through the sacrifice of His Body by the New Covenant. Jesus, You are our High Priest and the Mediator of the New Covenant forever. Grant us the faith to believe for salvation and not to shrink back and be destroyed.

In Jesus Christ's Name,

Amen

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(although the law required them to be made).9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb 10 God's purpose in this letter is to show us that the New Covenant and Ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has superseded the old covenant of the Mosaic law. His purpose for the institution of the Mosaic law was to teach all of God's people from all time by the Holy Spirit about the enclosing of the Presence of God from sinful humanity, the presence of continual sin in humanity, the existence of the heavenly sanctuary, and the requirement for the shedding of blood. The New Covenant is the eternal Gospel which results in the salvation and purification of all of God's people through Christ's fulfillment of His Father's will. The promises of God require for us to persevere in our assurance of faith in the New Covenant so that we may be saved. I. The Holy Spirit's Revelations from the Old Covenant God's purpose throughout eternity from beginning to end is to display His glory through the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of His people and the consummation of His judgement against all that stands in opposition to this purpose. Even as God finished the creation of the world, His eternal purpose with the Gospel was finished because the Sovereign unchanging nature of God allows for the certain carrying-out of the preordained will of God and the impossibility of any other turn of events. "And yet His work has been finished since the Creation of the world" (Heb 4:3). In this sense all who have believed the Gospel, whether they have believed beforehand in the promised Messiah [all of the children of God who lived before the birth of Christ] and all who have believed in the finished work of Christ's death and resurrection [all of us who have believed since Christ's ascension into heaven] enter into a "Sabbath rest for the people of God" (Heb 4:9). This state of belief is referred to as a "rest" because the people of God have fully surrendered their own works of the flesh and believed in the complete and perfect work of God for the sanctification of their souls. "Anyone who enters into God's rest also rests from His own work, just as God did from His" (Heb 4:10). For those who lived under the old covenant, the work of their Savior Jesus Christ to become the Savior of the world, had been as sure of a promise to those who had faith as the promise of the Gospel is for us who have been granted the finished proclamation of the work of Christ on earth. Thus, the same peace, that is, the same rest, that results for the people of God through the Gospel has been available from beginning to end. 'For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”' (Rom 1:17) For those who had lived under the old covenant before the coming of Christ, their faith in the coming Messiah was granted to them by God. Furthermore, the same Holy Spirit who was sent by Jesus to live inside of us had been teaching and revealing the Gospel of Christ to the children of God who lived by faith prior to Christ's coming. God's purpose in instituting His Law given to Moses and for requiring for the building of an earthly tabernacle and sanctuary where He would dwell among the people was to teach His people the eternal Gospel. The Holy Spirit has used the elements of the Mosaic law to establish these earliest believers in their faith in what is to come so that they may live within the Sabbath-rest of God's completed sanctifying work. Now 4 of these teachings of the Holy Spirit from the Old Covenant will be described:1. The Enclosing of the Presence of God from Sinful Humanity According to the command of God, the high priest was appointed to enter the Most Holy Place once a year to offer a sacrifice of blood for the forgiveness of his own sins and the sins committed by the people. The Most Holy Place was separated even from the other Levite priests who served in the tabernacle. The Presence of God was among the people and yet the people could not approach Him in the Most Holy Place. The blood sacrifice made by the High Priest indicated that it was precisely the sin of the people that separated them from the Presence of God. Similarly, when Moses went up to the mountain to speak with God and to receive His Laws for the people, limits were set-up around the mountain. "18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a Voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” (Heb 12). For those who walked by faith, the enclosing of the Presence of God in the earthly tabernacle filled them with the fear of God for His forgiveness and a zealous desire and longing for His Presence. The Presence of God was regarded as the utmost requirement for these who walked by faith. As Moses prayed "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here" (Ex 33:113). And as King David prayed "My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord' my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Ps 84:2) and "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His Temple" (Ps 27:4). And as God prophecied deliverance and restoration for His people, His ultimate promise was always that His dwelling place will be with them; "I will be their God, and they will be My people: (Ex 37:27). The question we consider is "Were these earliest Christians truly separated from the Presence of God?" or "Was the Presence of God enclosed so that only the High Priest could ever experience the glory of God?". As we consider that "the righteous have lived by faith", that is, faith in the coming Messiah for the forgiveness of sins, and that many of the people of God spoke of Him as a refuge, a strong tower, a shield, their strength, their song, their salvation, the One whose Word they praise, the One who is near to those who are broken and contrite in heart, the One who is filled with mercy and compassion, abounding in love....we may be completely certain that those who lived before the coming of Christ who had faith in God's "finished work" have experienced the Presence of God. The Most Holy Place in the earthly tabernacle was a means through which the Holy Spirit convicted them of the sin that would have separated them from God outside of God's finished work. Thus the need for the finished work was understood in this way as the Holy Spirit taught them through these earthly representations of the eternal Gospel. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings —external regulations applying until the time of the new order. Heb 92. The Presence of Continual Sin in Humanity
An important element of the sacrifice system of the old covenant is that the sacrifices were made repeatedly. The Holy Spirit was teaching through this repetition that our sinfulness had filled humanity with records of accumulating guilt as well as the filth of our ever-present sin, and also that even as we continued to live on this earth, we were prone to stumble again and again. Our sin was ongoing before we had come to Christ and no amount of temporary covering of past and present sin would free our consciences from guilt and shame. Only the permanent sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins was able to cleanse the conscience and remove guilt. The result of this cleansing of the conscience through the Gospel is that the children of God are given the Resurrection power and the grace which was able to prevent them from falling into sin deserving of condemnation. Even if our sins were temporarily covered again and again, the conscience could never be cleansed. And we know that the cleansing of the conscience results in the love and gratitude towards the Savior and the denying of ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12). Only the saving Gospel which permanently cleansed the soul from sin and its effect could result in the bestowing of Christ's righteous title onto a saint. The ongoing sacrifices involved no fulfilling of God's justice, no revelation of the love and glory of God through Christ's sacrifice, no weight of the worth of the Godhead humbling Himself to death on the cross, and no shedding of the blood of the One and only Perfect Lamb of God, the Son of God, who alone could be offered as the permanent sacrifice for our salvation. The Holy Spirit was revealing to these early Christians through the ongoing sacrifices that the righteousness of Christ to cover our souls was necessary for the cumulative sin of our existence. "By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb 10:14). Furthermore, faith in the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in the children of God allowed for the Law of God to be written in their hearts.

The question we consider is, "Was the Law of God written on the hearts of the earliest Christians?" And we are certain that for those who had faith in the righteousness of Christ, the Law of God was written on their hearts. As King David describes the righteous man, "The Law of God is in his heart. His feet do not slip" (Ps 37:31). The writing of the Law of God on the hearts of God's children is the antidote to the continuation of the sin of the soul. For "No one who is born of God continues to sin because God's seed remains in Him" (I John 3:9). The writing of the Law of God is the planting of the Seed, that is, the Word of God, in the soul of the saint. For the earliest Christians who believed in God's finished work, the Law of God was written on their hearts by the same power of the Spirit and the same belief in the teachings of grace that we hold dear. The ongoing sacrifices of sins was means for the Holy Spirit to indicate the need for the "washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goatsto take away sins.5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offeringsyou were not pleased.7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll —I have come to do your will, O God.’”

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(although the law required them to be made).9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says:

16 “This is the covenant I will make with themafter that time, says the Lord.I will put My Laws in their hearts,and I will write Them on their minds.”

17 Then He adds:

“Their sins and lawless actsI will remember no more.”

18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.Heb 10

3. The Presence of the Heavenly Sanctuary

God had given Moses detailed instructions for the building of the earthly tabernacle. This earthly temple was a "copy and shadow of what is in heaven". For this reason it was of utmost importance for the early Christians who built the tabernacle to build it precisely as God instructed so that it would suffice as a copy and shadow and not be a counterfeit or truth-defying representation. For example, if there Most Holy Place were not separated by the veil from the Holy Place, this inner Room would no longer serve as a worthy representation of the enclosing of the Presence of God from sinful humanity. Through this earthly temple the Holy Spirit taught the people that there was a true Tabernacle set up by God in heaven. He taught them that the eternal High Priest in heaven offered the sacrifice of His own blood on the heavenly altar. He taught them that there truly was a place where God sat on His eternal Throne and where God the Son lives to intercede for us by merit of His own sacrifice.

By faith the earliest Christians walked in freedom and grace knowing that the finished work of God allowed for the Deliverer who alone is the Eternal High Priest who continually serves in the heavenly Tabernacle and whose blood makes atonement for their sin. Here in this heavenly tabernacle, countless heavenly being cry out in worship of the Holy God who has finished the work of the Gospel. When these Christians considered the man-made tabernacle, the Spirit pointed out to them "There is a tabernacle in heaven where your High Priest has gone. He is victorious over sin and death and by His wound You are healed and born again". As Job called out "I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth" (Job 19:25) and as Moses prophecied, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him". As Daniel describes, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was One like a Son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence" (Dan 7:13). The soul's cry of the earliest Christians was 'I have a Redeemer and He lives! He offered the sacrifice of His own blood so that I may live in freedom. "I will run in the path of Your Commands for You have set my heart free." (Ps 119:32)'.

The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Heb 84. The Requirement for the Shedding of BloodThe Mosaic law required that almost every article used in the temple should be cleansed with blood. Apart from the Spirit, we would not understand the need for the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We would have been like Cain who saw the sacrifices of disobedient self-effort as fit for an offering to the God of heaven. But Christ "has purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev 5:9). These purchased souls have been granted an inheritance and they have been given the Holy Spirit as a deposit
guaranteeing the inheritance that is to come. Included in the will or testament (διαθήκη: compact, covenant, arrangement) of God is the granting of the forgiveness of sins, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the perfect union with God and God's people. An eternal law is that the death of the giver of the will must be proven before the will is in effect. "The life of a creature is in its blood" (Lev 17:11) and thus the blood of the creature is proof of its death. The animal sacrifices were used to inform the children of God that blood had to be shed in order to atone for sin. Since the "wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), the only perfect sacrifice that could be made on our behalf was the perfect sinless spotless Lamb of God, the Son of God. The infinite unworthiness of our sinful souls could only be paid for by the sacrifice of infinite worthiness and glorious righteousness: the Light of the glory of God: JESUS CHRIST. He has entered into heaven by His own blood proving His own death. However, because death could have no power over Him, the Living Christ proves His own death by His blood. He is the "Lamb that was slain FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD" (Rev 13:8). Thus the earliest believers saw the animal sacrifices and were taught by the Holy Spirit that their eternal Savior was slain and the death of the Giver of the will of righteousness and redemption has been proven. Therefore God's will and covenant is in effect even during their lives on earth. Their faith was in the "Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world". Because God's will was in effect, their faith was not only in the first coming of their awaited Messiah, but in His second coming: when He would come to bring salvation to all who wait for Him.

16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.Heb 9

II. The Superior New CovenantThe Mosaic law with its commands and instructions for the building and sacrifices of the tabernacle was given to Moses by God Himself who spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaks to His friend" (Ex 33:11). Though the old covenant was incomplete and imperfect in its inability to cleanse the conscience and grant eternal redemption to the people, God had preordained for this covenant to be used by His own Spirit to teach the earliest believers of His eternal Gospel. Since Christ's death and resurrection on the earth still awaited them, God chose to use this system to teach them the Gospel since they did not have the written Gospels as we have now. The old covenant was not the saving covenant. It did not result in the fulfillment of the eternal Gospel because it could not forgive sin. The old covenant could not purify the heart, cleanse the conscience, teach the soul the righteousness that comes through faith and grace. The old covenant did not allow for the law of God to be written on the hearts of men so that they will never turn away from God. The old covenant could not grant union between God and His people. But Jesus has come to fulfill the New Covenant of God for His glory and for His beloved people. This Covenant is the ultimatum, the epoch, the complete revelation and splendor to mankind of His glory, the only way of salvation for God's people, the radiance of the Light of the Father, and the perfect display of justice. The New Covenant is the eternal Covenant and the perfect Covenant. This is the Covenant that we cling to for the life of our souls. This is the Covenant in which we put all of our hope and faith. The understanding of the New Covenant, by both the early Christians and the Christians who were born after Christ's earthly coming, allows for the surpassing of the old covenant by the superior New Covenant. For we believe in Christ as the One who is "faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house" (Heb 3:2) because "God is the builder of everything" (Heb 3:2). He is the Builder of His House and "we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast" (Heb 3:6). He is the builder of the unified people of God who have been "bought at a price" and granted holiness, righteousness, and redemption (I Cor 6:20). His sanctifying work is to "build us up in the Most Holy faith" by which we are granted the righteousness of Christ (Jude 1:20). He has entered "the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12). His permanent high Priesthood is based on "the power of an INDESTRUCTIBLE LIFE" and He is a "Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" by the oath of God Himself (Heb 7:16-17). Thus His eternal Priesthood allows Him to "save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them" (Heb 7:25). The Priest of the New Covenant meets our need for He is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens" (Heb 7:26). His blood has cleansed our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God! (Heb 9:14).

6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“The time is coming, declares the Lord,when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israeland with the house of Judah.9 It will not be like the covenantI made with their forefathers when I took them by the handto lead them out of Egypt,because they did not remain faithful to My covenant,and I turned away from them,declares the Lord.10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israelafter that time, declares the Lord.I will put My Laws in their mindsand write Them on their hearts. I will be their God,and they will be My people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.12 For I will forgive their wickednessand will remember their sins no more. ”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.Heb 8

III. The Righteous Live by Faith in the New Covenant God has purposed that we understand the superior New Covenant because this is His eternal saving Covenant for us. The result of the understanding of the superior New Covenant is that God's people are filled with confidence and assurance of their inheritance because the will and covenant of their God has been put into effect based on the proven death of the Risen Christ by the eternal sacrifice of His blood. Now our calling is to persevere in the will of God so that we will receive the eternal Life that He has promised especially that perfection which is coming after we see Him face to face. He tells us "My righteous one will live by faith". If we had not understood and believed in His Covenant with the faith that He grants by the Holy Spirit, we would shrink back and be destroyed by His eternal wrath.

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,

“He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But My righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back,I will not be pleased with him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.Heb 10

The evidence of true faith is the establishment of a certain goal within the hearts of those who possess it. This goal is the salvation of the soul. "For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (I Peter 1:9). As we have discussed in prior letters, the salvation of our souls is the eternal Life of knowing Jesus Christ. The gift of salvation is the union with Jesus Christ as we fulfill the law by His granted unconditional love. Thus the ultimate purpose which must always exist when true faith is exercised is that desire and longing to know Christ and to be found in Christ's righteousness on the day our Lord returns. Faith is always in the work of the Gospel and in the grace, mercy, and love which are shown in this finished work. In the core of the belief of the Gospel is the desire for the glorification of God, for it would be impossible for us to behold the glory of God and to not be transformed into His image with a longing for His Name to be exalted. Consider the responses of the four living creatures in heaven who cry out day and night "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come" and the 24 elders who fall before His thrown casting their crowns at His feet saying “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,for You created all things, and by Your will they were createdand have their being” (Rev 4:11). Those who behold Him cannot have any other desire or longing. Those who have seen Him find no other pleasure and no other satisfaction than to bring glory to His Name. And even we who are granted eternal Life in knowing Him are growing in our hearts to see the glory of God which will cause us to desire no other thing than His own glory. And thus our faith and hope are that we may behold His glory, that we may be near to Him, that we may be holy and righteous as He is holy and righteous, that we may dwell in His courts and behold His beauty, that we may proclaim His praises and excellencies, that all men may behold His splendor and majesty...This is the goal of faith. This is always at the heart of any true faith.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.Heb 11

This faith that has the salvation of the soul as the goal is the assurance and certainty of that salvation. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.Heb 11" When we consider that the righteousness of God's people comes by faith and that God's righteous one will live by faith, we realize that it is of utmost importance that we understand that "everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). We are called to live, breath, think, and act according to the assurance of our eternal salvation based on the finished work of the New Covenant. Before our salvation every inclination of our hearts was only evil all the time and we did nothing but live, breath, think, and act blasphemy towards God. We had no desire for His glory or for the holiness of God in our lives. But a life lived in faith is a life founded on the finished work of the Gospel.

We often are perplexed as we face the trials and temptations of the world with regard to the faith that we called to have in them. When Christ tells us that we may ask Him for anything in His Name and He will give it to us and that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains, we have considered how much faith is required from us for the carrying out of what we have asked. Many of us have asked to be healed of various illnesses, to be granted some work-related desire, to be granted some "legal" request that we make... and yet we have often forfeited true faith: the faith that has the salvation of the soul and the glorification of God as the single desire and goal. As Jesus said, "If you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you will, and it will be given to you. THIS IS TO MY FATHER'S GLORY, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT, SHOWING YOURSELVES TO BE MY DISCIPLES" (John 15:7-8). Dear saint, remember that God's purpose with your existence is to conform you into the image of Christ as He reveals His glory to you. He tells us "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God" (John 11:40). You may not understand His purpose now and your trials may seem to bury you under the raging waves of the storms of life and His glory feels nowhere to be found, but He is calling you to have faith. Faith calls out day and night in the midst of the feeling of the death sentence in the heart "I am waiting for you, Father. I know that You will come to me, Jesus. You will come to me with Your glory and with Your joy". Faith says in the midst of darkness "2 After two days He will revive us;on the third dayHe will restoreus,that we may live in His Presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. ” (Hos 6). The life lived in faith shines in the dark world in a manner that involves behaviors, mindsets, attitudes, body language, and Words which are filled with the grace and the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit's training of my soul in the recent past has revealed these aspects of faith:

1. Faith always involves the surrendering of the desire of the flesh. By faith this desire is put to death as the belief in the existence of the perfect new creation of self in Christ is beheld through Spiritual eyes.

2. Measures of faith are instilled into our hearts in accordance to His grace to meet each trial. Often the trials which we fear beforehand will come upon us and He grants us a faith during those trials which allows us to persevere with the full assurance of our eternal standing in Christ in what would seem like an otherwise hopeless circumstance.

3. Measures of faith are instilled into our hearts when our plans are changed by circumstances. When our small and large plans are upset, the irritation or sorrow of the flesh may be great. The faith that He grants results in the submission of the will to the eternal purpose of the glorification of the Sovereign God.

4. Faith results in the receiving of the events of our lives from the hands of God rather than from the hands of the devil, demons, other people, or fate. Faith receives every event of life, every word spoken from another, every act of others as delivered from the heavenly Father packaged in love [often loving discipline]. In this sense the righteous ones do not complain, argue, or blame because they are receiving everything from the Hands of God Himself. Their faith allows them to see these things as gifts intended to purify the heart and to purge the desires of the flesh so that they are presented holy and blameless, unashamed before Him at His coming.

5. Faith in the Gospel results in the acting in love in accordance with the Golden Rule. These acts of love are proceeded by revelations of the glorious love of the Father for all of the saints.

6. Faith results in the ongoing hope, zeal, and EXCITATION for the conforming of the soul into the Image of Christ. Every event is seen as one which the Father will use to further conform the soul into the Image of Christ.

7. Faith results in the heart's desire for the revelation of the glory of God in the present time. Those who walk in faith pray to see glimpses of the glory of God right now. Because the will of Christ is for their joy to be complete and for them to share in His glory, He always grants their request as He continually reveals His glory to His children who ask with faith to behold Him.

8. Faith in the finished work of the Gospel instills in the heart the Truth that the Best is yet to come. Those who have faith are not longing for earthly events and treasures. Their greatest ongoing longing is for heaven where the glory of God will be completely revealed.

9. Faith in the Gospel results in full dependence on the love and grace of the Father shown in Christ in spite of the momentary sin of the flesh and the feeling of the worst condemnation in the heart. This dependence results in immediate repentance.

10. Faith in the Gospel foresees the perfect unity of God's people in Christ. Thus when the wrong words were spoken, when regrettable actions were committed, when better words and acts could have been delivered, when hypocrisy was present, those who walk in faith never consider a relationship with another believer as "over" or "hopeless". Their reliance is not in their past success or the current state of the other person but in the God of all peace and restoration.

11. Faith in the Gospel de-emphasizes both the reproach and the flattery of men. The righteous are seeking to please their Lord and Savior. They do not assess their daily performance by the perceptions of men or the approval/admiration of others but rather the extent of the subjection of their flesh to the Spirit.

12. Faith in the Gospel always results in the proclaiming of the Gospel. It is impossible for a true believer to not have the desire to proclaim the Gospel.

13. Faith in the Gospel does not focus on the schemes of men. It does not become involved in or disheartened by the commotion of foolish people. The minds of the righteous are not contained in the common topics of discussion and activities of [even Christian] crowds around them. Rather their eyes are always on the strong Arm of their God. Their eyes look to Him and ask "Father, what are You doing? What are You speaking?"

14. The seasoned faith allows for the lack of shock and surprise at the temptations of the flesh and the temporarily stumbling because these saints have come to learn the hopelessness of their flesh. The seasoned faith allows for instantaneous restoration to the fellowship of the Holy Spirit because the saving Gospel has been exalted and the faithfulness of the Father has become well-established in their minds and hearts.

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Heb 11Summary of Iowa Christian Conference (5/25-5/27) Our family (including Anand and Prasanna) went to a Christian conference in Iowa this past weekend. The theme of the conference was "The Living Word". God has blessed me greatly with the treasure of this conference. The main blessing for me came from God showing me His glory several times (which made me trying to hold back tears for much of the time) by revealing His love and grace to me, Pastor Naveen's sermons, a few unforgettable conversations with people, the receiving of God's love and grace from many people, and the children whom I already miss. From Pastor Naveen's sermons some favorite things are:- The Seven-fold Spirit refers to the Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord (Is 11). - The Word of God is Jesus (John 1), not only the "Words in red", but the entire counsel of the breathed Word of God because "men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" and the "Spirit will take from what is Mine [Jesus] and make it known to you".- The purpose for all of the children on God is for His glory. All of the true wisdom and knowledge that we encounter in the world is hidden in Christ and for His glory. The study of knowledge without the desire for His glory is idolatry. Understanding of the Mind of God perfects the understanding of all wisdom and knowledge (including academia). - The only purpose of a father is firstly to glorify God, secondly to love his wife and wash her with the Word, and thirdly to train his children in the Word (Deut 6). In the process of loving his wife a man crucifies his flesh and submits to the Lord. Thus his learning to love his wife benefits his own soul which is conformed into the Image of Christ in the process. A wife's faith in the Gospel alone will grant her the grace to submit to her husband rather than to fear which is the root cause of irreverence.

About Me

In the Scriptures the Shepherd’s eternal Covenant is a cutting out of His people from all that is devoted to destruction as they approach Him through His flesh and by His blood, a passing through of God’s presence among His people just as the smoking oven and flaming torch passed through the torn pieces of flesh that Abraham offered (Gen 15:12-16), the binding or marriage of two parties, that is, the reconciliation of Christ and His church, and the creation of a new kingdom and people, whose souls are perfected. We were dead in trespasses and sins, just as Abraham fell into a deep sleep and great terror and darkness came upon him, and God has established His Covenant by the strength of His own righteous arm (Eph 2:1, Gen 15:12).